The first stage has just been completed with a major renovation of the premises on the Paris campus. Michaël Pereira, the new head of the DynFLuid laboratory's aerodynamic platform, has set a deadline of 2022, when the wind tunnel will celebrate its 70th anniversary.
This 27-year-old physicist, one of the youngest lecturers in the country, has been tasked with further boosting the platform's activities. " It's quite a challenge from a scientific and technological research perspective."
The first phase required the site to be closed for two months for complete renovation, in order to reflect the innovative activities carried out there.
This reopening creates " a new dynamic; we can now begin a new chapter in our history, "enthuses Michaël Pereira. It allows us to focus on developing key areas of research, teaching, and innovation.
This modernization also involves the development of metrology resources to provide cutting-edge aerodynamic measurement techniques.
" We are rich in knowledge and expertise. We are proud to be the only closed-circuit wind tunnel of this scale in central Paris. This gives us a reputation for excellence among manufacturers and in the scientific community, " says Michaël Pereira. " Building on our history, we are now looking to the future. We want to develop new projects and be part of this new industrial revolution. "
Two projects involving drones and sports
Several considerations define the new areas of research, such as taking into account the dynamics of today's socio-economic world, supporting the needs and addressing the challenges of French industries on a global scale, but also addressing issues related to energy transition. " Transport, construction, renewable energy production, and energy storage are sectors in which we are involved, " says Michaël Pereira.
The site is currently working on two new projects.
On the one hand, there is the study of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) that can be used in a wide range of applications, from transportation with urban taxis to parcel delivery, as well as the use of drones as remote sensing tools to map the environment of glaciers or wildlife in remote regions of the globe.
On the other hand, Paris will host the Olympic Games in 2024. Sports physics is an active field of research. When the goal of an athlete is often to go faster, what could be better than a wind tunnel to test and optimize their aerodynamic performance? " In terms of science and technology, we have a role to play in this area. "
All of this also supports another ambition: to become an academic leader in aerodynamics. For Michaël Pereira, the goal is to promote the wind tunnel site more widely and to spread awareness of its pioneering spirit beyond France's borders.
